LEAST picks, MOST locks.

[Traveller]

Hi All.

Just wanted to ask a simple question....

What is the least number of picks/tools that are required to be able to open the majority of UK locks, whether they be on doors, cars or whatever?

....and what are they and how many sizes of each do I need?

Please note that I prefer the purist methods (one pin or whatever at a time) and am not really interested in 'bouncing' or 'raking' the mechanisms to get lucky.

I've already gathered that the following are essential:

Hook

Tension Wrench

Warded Lock Picks (As mentioned in my previous post, I don't really have any tools to make my own picks, but are warded picks easy to make simply from bicycle spokes or something?)

Does the above list cover Lever Locks, Tubular Locks, Double Sided Wafer/Disc Locks, Padlocks, etc? If not, what else do I need to add?

Thanks.

[pinky]

no, for pure picking for lever locks you need

a curtain pick ( cb picks are most versatile) to cover whole range of uk lever locks you will need;

5g pick
7g pick
8g pick
E series pick
RKS pick

this is pure picking, for decoders you would need approx 20 picks ranging from £200 to £600 each, approx £10k, but if good at picking, then the full belcher set at around £567 plus vat will do you for lever locks

[Traveller]

Hi Pinky.

So equipped with Hook, Tension Wrench, Warded Lock Picks and the picks you mentioned, I'd be able to open almost all popular/common locks in the UK?

Which of the lever picks you've listed is for the most common lock? Can't afford them all at once!



Thanks.

[horsefeathers]

5g

Most common gauge you will come across, but next I suggest the 7g, then add the others as you can afford it. Unless you keep coming across dozens of E series/RKS in your area.

regards

wayne

[Shrub]

The tools are only part of the issue, the invaluble things are the training you receive and the knowledge you build up, that cant be done over night and it is hard to aqquire the correct things and get them at a decent price.

Most of the tools you need cant be bought unless your trading and you shouldnt be trading unless your trained and practised to a good standard.

Raking etc arent luck based and are very effective on certain locks, when at a door you are not there all day just because you cant open it by the methods you only want to use you get the customer in as fast as possable without causeing damage to anything.

Insurance, training, advertiseing, knowledge and practise are all very inportant areas you should be looking into before even making steps to start up.

[sidpick]

bin the warded picks, I've been doing this for 7 years now and never seen one.
Your not going to get by with a small pick set, thats too easy.
There are too many different types of lock out there, your basic pick set will do probably 60% of your cylinders - the other 40% are MTL, Kaba, Banham, assa, abloy and ingersoll.
Mortice locks, the belcher tool is most universal, again you need several to cover all locks, then the time to practice.
You can pick tubulars with individual picks, but you have to pick every time the plug turns to the next pin, so you'll have to pick it many times, and if you pick it once and then can pick no more, you've rogered the lock.
Rim locks, digi locks, etc etc.... if your serious, you'll just have to do what the rest of us do.
The best thing you can do is to study all types of locks, dissect, photo, measure and learn all you can - this knowledge far outweighs the tools..
And you can't buy it
And don't believe all you read..there are an awful lot of fakers...
Good luck..

1 pick set only works for ninjas!

[Traveller]

I've just seen the cost of those CB picks! Whew! Maybe I don't mind 'getting lucky' after all!

Those prices are WAY too much for just a hobby. Sorry if I gave anyone the impression that I wanted to be a locksmith. I don't; I just want to do it for fun or in case I (or my family/friends) get locked out of their car/house, etc. It is also highly unlikely that I will be attending any sort of training, etc; I'll be relying solely on info from the Web (such as here), maybe books, and my own practise. Just to remind everyone, I haven't even got my very first pick yet; I just thought that a few simple picks would cover most of the usual locks found all over the place in the UK. I'll also most likely be obtaining weird and wonderful second hand/old locks to have fun with, so wanted to be able to cover those as well.

Sidpick, so what do I open warded locks with then?

"Rim locks, digi locks, etc etc.... if your serious, you'll just have to do what the rest of us do"

....and what's that?? (Sorry for being slow.)

Thanks for all of your responses; they have been very helpful indeed.

[pinky]

if you thought a few simple picks would open all common locks, then sadly you are wrong.
as a minimum a locksmith would carry the following for common locks found in the uk;

RIM CYLINDER LOCKS, euro profile locks and pin tumblers in general
for these you would carry the following items;

good hand pick set
at least 1 good electric pick gun
impressioning handle , blanks and file
dimple lock pick sets
dimple lock 2 in 1 pick
bump key sets
mica
letterbox tool
thumb turn turners
plug spinner
yuk ! snapper

PADLOCKS

shims
padlock 2 in 1 picks
cylinder kit as above

TUBULAR LOCKS

7 pin pick
8 pin pick

WAFER LOCKS

jiggler keys
hand picks
over lifters

WARDED LOCKS

lever wires
warded pick sets

2 , 3 & 5 LEVER NON CURTAIN LOCKS

5 g 2 in 1 pick
7g 2 in 1 pick
overlifters 5g ( various sizes)
Overlifters 7g ( various sizes)
2 and 3 lever jigglers
lever wires
key turners
button hooks

5 LEVER CURTAIN AND BS3621 LOCKS

full set of chris belcher picks ( or alternative gauge curtain picks)
wire picks
decoders for most common locks met in area

this is only a rough list of most common used tools on common locks, most take a shit load of practice and cost a small fortune. to carry picks for every uk lock on domestic commercial premises you wouldnt get much change from £15k, treble this if you wish to carry car picks and safe picks too.

sadly if not trading you would find it difficult to obtain most of these tools, so maybe looking at homemade tools and playing with basic lever locks and basic cylinders for now is order of day.

[illusion]

Half of those tools can be made anyway, and with little difficulty.

[Traveller]

"playing with basic lever locks and basic cylinders for now is order of day"

That is EXACTLY what I'm going to be doing, Pinky. Basics are the obvious place to start. Don't know how long it'll be before I progress onto anything fancier.

That list which you've posted is one of the most helpful things I've read on lockpicking thus far, and I've spent many, many hours/days researching the Internet. I have only been concentrating on the basics though; this is why I still have many silly questions to ask. Thanks HEAPS for that!

Illusion, I have to learn to USE a pick before trying to MAKE one! haahaa

Thanks all.

(Pinky, if you haven't already, I think your list would make a GREAT 'sticky' for other newbies to see; maybe with each pick linked to a photo.)

[Shrub]

Have a look for a post by toomush2drink on what you need to start up a lockie business, youll find a longer list for the uk side of things, if you want one for the US side of things look for one by Varjeal, i think they are both stickied in the locksmith business section but am not 100% sure,

If i get round to it i will look the links out for you later.

[sidpick]

With warded padlocks, if you see them yes a warded pick set is handy. You'll see when you take one apart, its normally only a spring or some other cheap locking device keeping it closed. You can get most of these with a hook pick. Although the pick set, which templates are easy to make, just look at any wholesaler / pick seller - south ord etc.. and then get an origninal key for a warded padlock, scale the 'picks' to this key and bingo, you can normally file a key to make a 'bypass key' that will open many locks.
There just not that common though, as I said, I have never seen one on a door I had to open - unfortunately....!

[Traveller]

Shrub, are these the ones you mean?

viewtopic.php?t=4708
viewtopic.php?t=2315

Sorry, I never looked in the business section, didn't think it applied to me, but looks like I was wrong. Thanks.

Sidpick, "scale the 'picks' to this key" ????

[illusion]

Illusion, I have to learn to USE a pick before trying to MAKE one! haahaa

Well, it's up to you, but you could read this thread-the tools are easily made with such little tools - but then it's up to you

http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=10743

I'll post a pic of a wire I use to pick the warded padlock I have, and I may even do a video if I'm feeling very generous

[Shrub]

Shrub, are these the ones you mean?

viewtopic.php?t=4708
viewtopic.php?t=2315

Sorry, I never looked in the business section, didn't think it applied to me, but looks like I was wrong. Thanks.

Sidpick, "scale the 'picks' to this key" ????

Yes they are

If you have a working key to a lock all you have to do is print out the pics you see on suppliers sites for warded picks and then shrink or enlarge them so the pick is the same dimensions as the key to give you the sizes to make them.